Oleomargarine mixing package



y 1956 R. s. STEINBOCK OLEOMARGARINE MIXING PACKAGE Filed Aug. 4, 1951INV EN TOR. fioberg 5. Ste/aback United States Patent Q OLEOMARGARENEMurrNu YACKAGE Robert S. Steinbeck, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, assiguor,by mesne assignments, to Hammock Package Ltd, a corporation of CanadaApplication August 4, 1951, Serial No. 240,424

1 Claim. (Cl. 99-179) This invention relates to flexible sealed typecontainers for packaging soft plastic substances and to a method andmeans for utilizing such a container to mix the original contentsthereof with additives without permitting leakage of the contents.

Presently used packages for uncoloured oleomargarine are sold withseparate devices or packets containing colouring material accompanyingor attached to the oleomargarine wrappers. When colouring material thusaccompanies the package of uncoloured oleomargarine, the packagingproblems and costs are a good deal greater than when no colouringmaterial accompanies the package. With such packages, if the housewifedoes not use all of the colouring material, or if the colouring stainsthe wrapper from long contact with it, the resulting package containingthe coloured oleomargarine may be quite unsightly.

Furthermore, with present-day packages for uncoloured oleomargarine inwhich the contents are sealed, it is impossible to control the degree ofcolouring. A given amount of colouring material is sealed within eachpackage and this amount controls the degree or density of colour in thecoloured oleomargarine which results after mixing. Thus the housewife isforced to accept the colour standard set by the manufacturer regardlessof her own preference in the matter.

An object of this invention is to provide a sealed flexible package forsoft plastic substances, having means permitting entry of an additiveinto the contents of the package whereby the additive may be mixed withthe contents without destroying the sealed condition of the package. 7

Another object is to provide a sealed flexible package for uncolouredoleomargarine containing or accompanied by no colouring material inphysical contact with the package, yet so constructed that one may addcolouring material to the oleomargarine within the package and mix thecolouring material with the oleomargarine by kneading the flexiblepackage without destroying its sealed condition.

A further object is to provide a package for uncoloured oleomargarineand means for inserting colouring material into the sealed flexiblepackage, which will allow the housewife to control exactly the amount ofcolouring she wishes to add, while at the same time enabling her to mixthe oleomargarine with colouring without removing it from the package.

The invention thus contemplates the provision of a package foruncoloured oleomargarine having an aperture in the wall thereof, sealedwith a removale tape, through which may be introduced colouring materialin any amounts desired by the housewife.

More specifically, the invention contemplates the packaging ofoleomargarine in a flexible sealed wrapper having an aperture over whichis attached a strip of pressure sensitive tape, the construction beingsuch that the tape may be peeled back to permit passage of colouringmaterial through the aperture and then re-attached to prevent the egressof colouring or oleomargarine while the two are being mixed.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as this description proceeds.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a package embodyingthe invention,

Figure 2 is a partial sectional View on line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the package showing a manner ofinserting the additive into the contents of the package, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the package in rescaled conditionsubsequent to insertion of the additive.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a wrapper enclosing a body ofplastic substance such as oleomargarine 11. The wrapper 10 may be formedof translucent, thermoplastic material, such as, for example,chlorinated rubber, polyethylene, vinyl, vinylidene chloride, and alarge number of other well-known packaging materials. A translucentmaterial for the wrapper is preferable because it permits the housewifeto see the progress of the colouring operation. At the same time thewrapper is preferably flexible and strong enough to withstand thekneading and mixing operation without breaking. The wrapper 10 may betubular and may be sealed at one end and then filled with oleomargarine,the other end then sealed. If desired, the wrapper 10 may be in the formof a sheet and the edges thereof may be drawn about a cake ofoleomargarine, and the abutting edges then sealed together to form aclosed package. By employing the thermoplastic materials mentioned, thesealing may be effected by the application of heat, electric current, orthe like.

The wrapper 10 is provided prior to filling with an aperture 12 in thewrapper wall, and the aperture sealed over with a strip of pressuresensitive tape 13. In the illustration given the aperture is a simplestraight slit in the wrapper wall as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4.Although it is preferable to provide the aperture 12 prior to fillingthe wrapper, if desired, the aperture may be formed after the wrapper isfilled.

However, the aperture may be of any design and shape to accommodate anymethod or means used for carrying and inserting the colouring material.

The pressure-sensitive tape used in the illustration is of a typewell-known in the art. It may or may not be translucent. Preferably itis flexible so as to flex and bend with the wrapper wall while thekneading and mixing operation is in progress. The adhesive used tosecure the tape to the Wrapper may be of any type suitable to achieveboth proper adhesion upon pressure and release upon pull by theconsumers hand. When foods, such as oleomargarine, compose the contentsof the pack age the adhesive on the tape is, of course, non-toxic andgrease-resistant.

The tape may or may not be provided with a pull-tab 14, which is afolded-over or end section of the tape free of adhesive. This is bestillustrated in Figure 3 where 14 shows an end strip of the tape peeledback and free of adhesive and 15 shows the main body of the tape coveredwith adhesive material.

Any means for carrying and introducing colouring material through theaperture may be employed. In the illustration given the colouringmaterial is in the form of powder compressed into a tablet 16 as shownin Figures 3 and 4. A tablet is an easy and clean method for carryingand introducing colouring material into oleomargarine. All or part ofthe tablet may be used depending on the density of colour desired in thecoloured oleomargarine; a tablet of powder dissolves and disperses 3quite rapidly in the oleomargarine. The beginning of such "dispersion,before the mixing operation has 'c'ommenced, is shown in the dispersionlines 16a in Figure 4. During the mixing operation the colouringmaterial disperses quickly, evenly, and completely throughout theoleomargarine.

After the tablet has been inserted through the aperture and the'taperesealed'over the aperture, the package may then be manipulated in akneading operation to quickly mix the colouring material with theole'omargarine. The tape, being flexible and Well sealed over theaperture, the mixture operation can be undertaken vigorously with nofear of breakage or leakage.

After the kneadin and mixing operation the package may be restored toits original uniform shape by pressing the wrapper to fit its originallinesv Then the oleo margarine may be chilled and firmed, and when readyto serve the wrapper may be cut with a knife and peeled free from theoleomargarine.

One of the uniquely novel features of my package is the many optionalmethods which may be used for carrying the additives which are to beintroduced into the package through its aperture-pressure-tapestructure. Through the aperture of my structure the additive may beinserted in the form of a solid, powder, liquid, or paste,

any of which may be in a compact or loose form, or

they may be coated, compressed, or enclosed within a capsule or packet.For example, the colouring material maybe inliquid form enclosed withinabreakable capsule. if the capsule wall isnot miscible with orpermissible within the package contents, the capsule may be constructedwith a flange or projection extending outwardly from its wall. The mainbody of the capsule might then be inserted through the aperture of thewrapper with said flange lying fiat upon the outside wall of thewrapperaround the aperture. The pressure-sensitive tape could then be presseddown upon and sealed over and around the capsuie and its flange thusanchoring the capsuleto the wall of the wrapper and preventing it fromescaping into the package. The capsule could then be broken with fin erpressure, releasing the colouring contents from the capsulefcr mixingwith the contents of the package.

The aperture in my package structure may be of plural number, ofany sizeand shape, and located at any number of places or at any place in thewrapper wall. Thus, if exceptional speed is desired in the mixingoperation, an aperture could be located at both ends and-in the middleof my package, and colouring material could be introduced at threeS'frafe'gic points into the eleomarga'rine.

Such a structure might be very desirable, for example, in a packagecontaining two or more pounds of oleomargarine.

While, in the foregoing description, I have set forth a packagestructure and methods for introducing and mixing additives with thecontents of'a package in considerable detail for the purpose ofillustrating the invention, it will be undesrtood that such details ofstructure and method steps maybe modified Widely by those skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

A mixing package for the coloring of oleomargarine comprising awrapper'of a flexible and translucent material adapted to be sealedabout a body of oleomargarine, a body of oleomargarine sealed withinsaid flexible Wrapper, said wrapper having a wall provided with a singlestraight slit normally having contiguous edges, said slit adapted toadmit solid coloring material therethrough for the mixing of saidcoloring material with the oleomargarine, and a flexible tape coveringsaid slit and being provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive securingsaid tape upon the surface of said wall about said slit, said tape beingremovable so that a desired amount of coloring material may be insertedthrough said slit for mixture with said oleomargarine, and also beingreattachable to reseal said slit and to retain said oleomargarine andcoloring material within said wrapper during mixture thereof, andwherebyadditional amounts of coloring material may be inserted throughsaid slit following a kneading operation until a desired color intensityof the oleomargarine is obtained.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS506,982 Diamond Oct. 17, 1893 1,474,248 English 'Nov. 13, 1929 1,972,130"Case Sept. 4, 1934 2,270,547 Nichols Jan. 20, 1942 2,347,640 Peters May2, 1944 2,469,521 Rohdin May 10, 1949 2,598,595 Peters May 27, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS 393,199 Great Britain June 1, 1933

